Whatever the St. Louis Blues are cooking up for the NHL
playoffs, it's clear that Keith Tkachuk's acquisition was like adding heavy
garlic to the mix.

Tkachuk's flavorful playing style leaves an aftertaste
for those he plays against. That's the spicy effect the Blues sought when they
brought him from Phoenix before the trading deadline.

"The power forward is something you crave," says Blues
coach Joel Quenneville. "He's the ultimate power forward."

A review of general manager Larry Pleau's acquisitions
since the summer  including Tkachuk, Dallas Drake and Scott Mellanby 
makes it clear that the Blues believed they needed more bark and bite for the
postseason.

"It's always been my game to bang and crash," Drake says.
"Mell is like that, and Keith's the same way. He's more of a mucker than a pretty
player. He knows that. Sometimes you look for a certain dimension, and we got
it with Tkachuk."

Defenseman Bryce Salvador's development also has improved
the team's prickliness quotient.

But Tkachuk alters the team's look more than the others
because his tenacity is wrapped around enough offensive talent to make him the
most dangerous player on the ice on some nights.

"He's tough to contain, especially five on five," Quenneville
says. "He's a presence in front of the net, and he's very dangerous off the
rush. He's very strong on the puck. Watch how he can protect the puck."

It's fair to say that the Blues' appreciation of Tkachuk
came from playing against him in previous playoff series. He and defenseman
Chris Pronger had memorable one-on-one encounters.

"I know that my back is going to feel a lot more comfortable
with Pronger on my team now," Tkachuk says.

The former Coyotes captain was ecstatic to go to a team
with a legitimate chance to compete for the Stanley Cup.

"The expectations are very high in this organization,"
Tkachuk says. "I think management was given the (mandate) to make this a better
team. I feel comfortable and very confident we will be there in the end."

An added motivation for Tkachuk is he has never won a playoff
series. He says "confidence-wise" that it's important to shed himself of that
stigma.

"For me, it was a non-factor," says Blues general manager
Larry Pleau. "I can remember when they said that you couldn't win with Larry
Murphy, and now he's won four Cups and he's still playing. A lot of it is situational.
It's just opportunity, maturity, people being with the right team at the right
time. We talk about players being non-winners too much in sports."

Detroit Red Wings associate coach Dave Lewis views Tkachuk's
acquisition as changing the Blues' demeanor. "He brings emotion to the game
every night, and that's what teams like to have," Lewis says. "The Blues have
never had a power forward like him. Few players in the league can do what he
does. And really I don't think he's ever been in a situation like this."

What Lewis seems to be saying politely is that Tkachuk
has never been with a team considered a major Stanley Cup contender. When Tkachuk
was with Winnipeg and then Phoenix, his teams were considered bottom-rung playoff
teams. Tkachuk's snarl should be more valuable to the Blues. Says Quenneville:
"In a seven-game series, a guy like Tkachuk is tough to contain."